


Screaming in the Streets

by chamomile_tea



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-16
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-01 18:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1047271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chamomile_tea/pseuds/chamomile_tea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kat Cox was an smalltown American who had big dreams of living in London. When her best friend takes on the big city, Kat decides to tag along. Little does Kat know of what’s in store for her or the secret her mom’s been keeping from her her whole life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Run This Town

Chapter 1: Run This Town 

          It was September. The leaves on the trees just started to turn colors. The air smelt kind of like it did after it had just rained even though it hadn’t. I had on an oversized grey sweater and comfy jeans for the long trip. My long brown curls were tied in a messy bun on my head. I had a floral knapsack on my back.

          My crying mother stood in front of me. I didn’t have her hair or her eyes. Her hair was straight and brown and her eyes were blue but mine were green and sometimes blue in different light.

          “I’m going to miss you, Mom,” I said, pulling her in for a hug. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

          She laughed a wet snotty laugh. “I’ll miss you too, Kat,” She said, her words broke. She pulled away, wiping my tears away and then caressing my face. “You better go before you miss your flight. Tell Bella not to get you into too much trouble, okay? I love you, sweetie.”

          “I love you, Mom,” I kissed her cheek before setting off on my journey.

          I made my way through airport security and all of the other airport things. Before I knew it, I was on my way to London. I sat on the end of a row of three other people. I hear murmurings of British accents.  I plugged in my earphones and listened to _Your Song_ by _Kate Walsh_. I decided to pull out my journal I promised I'd write while I was in England.

_Dear Journal (not diary),_

_Hi! My name’s Katherine Aislinn Cox. I know. What a name! Anyways, you can call me Kat. I’m currently on a 6 am flight to London, England. We will be arriving at_ London City Airport _at 5 pm. Why am I leaving my little ol’ USA for the big UK? Three words plus a comma: my friend, Bella. She moved to London a year ago to go to college. Since she’s two years ahead of me, I had to wait a little bit. I’m only seventeen but I’m going to finish school there._

_Bella couldn’t wait to drag me over there. She said that the boys were so much cuter across the pond. Not that I cared. That was Bella’s thing. She was a huge hit with pretty much every guy out there. I’ve eaten ice cream over a guy way more times than I’ve done it just for enjoyment. When we were little, I remember her fangirling over the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSYNC. Ha! Those were the days._

_I’m going to focus on my high hopes for an English degree. School’s going to be so different over there. I wonder if I’m going to meet my prince in college or university as it’s referred to over there. Yeah right!_

_Anyways, I should say my goodbyes for now..._

_Your mid-flight friend,_

_Kat_

          I noticed the song on my iPod Touch had changed to _Run This Town_ by _Lucy Hale_. Now that was the spirit iPod!

 

          I got off my plane and it was 5 pm in London when it was really noon in the USA. I went down to the baggage claim and grabbed my bright blue suitcases on which I’d put American flags on. I felt two hands go around my waist and I freaked out ready to use my yellow belt moves if I had to. I had a little karate phase when I was ten.

          “Holy crap!” I exclaimed, causing me to get stares from a lot of angry British people.

          “I missed you, my little Kit-Kat!” Bella hugged me tightly.

          “I missed you too!” I pulled back, examining my best friend in the entire world.

          Bella was sort for Isabella. She was beautiful and usually outshined me which I was fine with. She had long flowing dark brown hair. Her skin was so tan for being in England for a year. She was half-Ukrainian which explained her beautiful jaw-line. Her eyebrows were perfectly kept and her eyes were a beautiful brown.

          Bella lead me to the taxi and helped me get my stuff in the trunk or boot as the Brits call it.

          “How longs the drive?” I asked my friend who sat next to me.

          “About have an hour,” She told me. “You’re gonna love it here, Kat! It’s absolutely amazing. Not to mention you’ve been talking about coming and living here since you were seven!”

          “I did have a bit of an obsession, didn’t I?” I asked, trying as hard a possible not to look guilty.

          “Anyways,” Bella said, looking quite excited. “The boys here are so much better than the States. They’re hotter. They’re more polite... or maybe that’s the accents. They’re so fit! Oh crap, that was British of me.”

          I laughed at her. We sat in car for the rest of the trip, laughing and chatting about a bunch of crap. We pulled up to the apartment complex in no time.

          “Come on then,” Bella said, eagerly. She paid the man and pulled me along with my stuff towards the building. We went inside, up two flights of stairs, and inside a door label 4C.

          It was a neat little apartment. When you first walked in you sat the living room on the left and a kitchen on the right. The kitchen had a lot of counter space and an island in the center with four bar stools. The living room had an ‘L’ couch that sat at least 7 people. The T.V was a flat screen but a modest one.

          From that conjoined room was a hallway that led to three rooms. One I assumed was mine and the other was Bella’s. The third room was a bath room. I put all my stuff in my room which already had a bed and a dresser thanks to Bella.

          Bella and I didn’t do anything for the rest of the day except call for Chinese food. When it got to about eleven, Bella and I went to bed. I lay in that twin size bed and thought to myself how amazing this was going to be.

          You know when people say “ignorance is bliss”? They’re right. They are so right. I had no idea what was in store for me and my new British life, no idea...


	2. Settling In

Chapter 2: Settling In

 

          I got up at about ten am. Bella had left for work about an hour ago. I was left to my own demise in the empty house. I grabbed my iPod and plugged it into the stereo. I turned it on _Give A Little More_ by _Maroon 5_ which had an amazing bass line and the guitar line was phenomenal. I decided to make toast and bacon for breakfast.

          I stood over the skillet, dancing a little bit. When everything was done, I started full on dancing. I wasn’t a pro but I had some moves up my sleeve.

          Man, I was weird. I decided to turn off the music and turn on the T.V to _E! News_. They were talking about some “brilliant boyband” called One Direction. They were totally hot but come on, a boyband? I don’t think so.

          “One Direction?” I scoffed to myself. “More like One Erection.”

          I turned the channel to _SpongeBob SquarePants_. Then I sat mindlessly for two hours before getting off my lazy butt and googling what to do in London. I thought I should do something productive so I was going to go job hunting.

          I got dressed for a cool London day. I had on a red plaid shirt with black skinny jeans and a denim jacket. I had black sunglasses and a tote bag with a camera on it. I had on black low top Converse. I let my curls fall just below my shoulders.

          I headed out the door, down a flight of stairs, and finally out of the apartment complex. London was incredibly beautiful by the way. We were along the Thames River and the London Eye was about a thirty minute drive down the street.

          I started off, looking through the shops. I wanted a job that suited me but I figured I’d eventually give up and just choose whomever was hiring.

          I entered a coffee shop first. It was a quaint little place. There was a place for an acoustic set up. It looked like some guy was there. He wore a pinkish hoodie and had bright orange hair. I walked up to the guy at the counter and asked him for a strawberry smoothie.

          “What’s the name for your order, babe?” He said, smiling at me.

          At first, I wanted to slap him on the face and curse him out for being so rude and vile. Then, I remembered I was in England and they pretty much called everyone babe here. “Uh, Kat,” was what I’d managed to sputter out.

          “Right then,” He said. “If you’d kindly wait over there, we’ll be ready with you shortly.”

          “Thanks,” I said, smiling polity. I stood watching the red head at the acoustic set. He played familiar songs and some of his own. He looked extremely into it. I thought it sounded really good.

          “An order for Uh Kat,” A girl called out. 

          “I guess that’s me,” I said, taking my smoothie. I caught a glance from the guy who took my order. He winked at me. “Bye,” I said, kind of shyly as I walked out.

          “Well, that was weird,” I mumbled to myself. Guys never hit on me. I mean _never ever_ do they do that. That’s when I saw a number scrawled on the side of my cup and the name _Eli_ next to it with three x’s. _Dear lord_...

          I continuously walked down the streets of London. I saw various “HELP WANTED” signs amongst the maze of shops but no names that jumped out at me. My brain seemed to shoot down everything I came across like whenever there was a pro I always thought of a con. There was a pet shop. There was the pro of cute animals but then there was the cleaning up after them. There was a clothing shop. The pro was employee discount but the girls were blonde, gum-chewing bitches. The other clothing shops were too prissy or too Goth.

          What the hell, brain? Why must you torment me with reality? I didn’t even really need a job unless I wanted spending money. Bella’s clothing designer mom and successful musician/actor dad had all the money in the world and paid for both of us to say there.

          I exited yet another unsuccessful job opportunity at a posh clothing store called _Mary’s Lamb_. What the fuck kind of name was that anyway? I had my Union Jack notebook from _Jack Wills_ in my hand along with a sharpie.

          I immediately turned my attention to the huge crowd of people across the street. There was definitely someone famous hence all of the paparazzi and flashing cameras. But there were girls, lots of girls.

          I thought of the song _Paparazzi_ by _Lady Gaga. I’m your biggest fan. I’ll follow you until you love me, papa-paparazzi. Baby, there’s no other super star. You know that I’ll be your papa-paparazzi. Promise I’ll be kind but I won’t stop until that boy is mine. Baby, you’ll be famous, chase you down until you love me..._

          Especially the last part reminded me of this moment. There were about fifty girls all at one surrounding the paparazzi that were surrounding whoever this poor person was. Then my ears started working again and through the lot screams I heard shouts of “Harry!”, “Liam!”, “Zayn!”, “Louis!”, or “Niall!” There was more than one person?

          They finally broke free of the crowd with the help of four bodyguards. I remembered them. Where had I seen them before?

          Wait.

          I felt my body go into shock as I realized that these were the heartthrobs of One Erection. They were crossing the street. What the fuck is going on?! My body wouldn’t move. Was I star-struck or just purely scared of those bodyguards and the size of the crowd?

          They were getting closer and as they reached my size of the streets. The bodyguards were probably deciding whether or not I was a threat.

          “Sorry, no autographs today,” A big, burly man said to me in an Irish accent. He probably thought that because of the notebook and sharpie in my hand.

          “That’s fine,” I told them. I didn’t really want to be rude to a man of his stature. I started walking away but someone touched my arm. Ready to beat up someone, I turned and saw it was the blonde one. What the fuck was his name? Neil? Nigel?

          “Babe, you want an autograph?” He asked.

          “Sure,” I said, thinking of Bella. She falls in love with boybands so why hadn’t she fallen for these guys as well. I handed him my sharpie and my notebook. He actually handed it around to all of the boys and they signed it as well.

          “There you go,” He said, handing it back to me. God, he was gorgeous. His eyes were the bluest blue I’d ever seen. They were like looking into crystals. He smiled at me and I caught a glimpse of silver braces.

          I heard murmurs of “Oh my god!” and “She’s so lucky!” also, thankfully, “Niall’s so sweet!”

          “Thanks so much,” I said, smiling, “Niall.”

          “You’re welcome...” He paused, waiting for a name.

          “Time to go, Niall,” The Irishman said, dragging him away from me.

          “Kat!” I yelled to the blonde. “My name’s Kat!”

          “Nice to meet you!” He yelled back.

          I couldn’t help but laugh. I stared down at the first signature. _Niall_ was scribbled down in cursive with a _xo_ just below it. He also managed to scribble down “ _You were sweet!_ ”

          I looked up and the crowd had evaporated. That’s when I saw a shop that was attractive to my eye. It was a giant pink building. The words _Shakes & Bakes_ were in giant white letters above a picture of a lady baking a cake and then _Cakes_ was in smaller print below the lady. The front of the building had two giant window filled with beautiful cakes and the white door was in the center.

          I shrugged to myself, “What the hell?” I crossed the street carefully, making sure not to die.

          I walked inside. It wasn’t entirely _packed_ but it was buzzing. I saw some of the cakes they had on display. They were so beautiful. I wouldn’t tell anyone this but I _loved_ to bake. Cakes, cupcakes, tiramisu, cookies, you name it and I love to make it. Hehe, that was cute.

          I approached the girl at the counter. She had long, curly blonde locks and big brown eyes. Her curls weren’t loose like mine they were tight and made her look like a lioness. Her name tag said _Harmony_.

          She smiled at me, “Hi, how can I help you?”

          “I’d actually love to apply for a job here,” I told her with, I admit, a pretty big smile.

          “You’re American?” She smiled and a laughed excitedly. “I love America! I’ve always wanted to go! Anyways, if you could fill this out, that’d be great.” She handed me an application.

          “Thanks,” I nodded. I sat at a little table and quietly filled it out. It asked the basic stuff like where are you from, how old are you, and are you an axe murderer? Well, the last one wasn’t on there but you never know.

          I went up to the cutie, Harmony, and handed in my application.  I turned to leave when she stopped me.

          “Were you the girl that Niall stopped in the street?” She asked, quickly.

          “Yeah,” I said, nodding.

          “Oh my god!” She squealed. “You’re so lucky! I’d give like anything to meet them.”

          “Well I didn’t really–”

          “I mean god they’re all so hot! Harry’s fucking gorgeous! Niall’s so sweet... Zayn is sexy as hell! And Lou? Oh my god, don’t even get me started! I saw on Tumblr today that they were recording their first album! Oh my emotions! I... I can’t. What about you though? You must be ecstatic! Niall actually spoke words to you. Can I get a picture with you?” She said all this in one breath.

          “Uh, yea, sure,” I told her a bit stunned by this. I smiled for a picture with her.

          “I’m totes tweeting this,” She said, typing something on her iPhone.

          “Well, bye, Harmony,” I said, waving and getting the hell out of there as fast as I could.

          I couldn’t believe how much I didn’t know about these guys. It must be a British thing. Harmony was obsessed with them. She knew all of their names and even wanted a picture with me just because I _spoke_ a few words to _one_ of them. What the hell was so magical about these boys? Sure, they were hot but that’s not enough to make me insane about them.

          I’d get crazy about _Hellogoodbye_ or _Maroon 5_ but not these silly twats. I mean _nice_ silly twats because, after all, their bodyguard was a total asshole to me and they gave me their autographs anyways.

          What the hell is this Tumblr thing? Is it a food? It sounds more like a board game though... Maybe Bella knew.  I hoped she was home by now as I walked through the door.

          Sure enough my favorite brunette was sitting on the couch in giant sweats and a baggy T-shirt with her hair tied up in a bun. She was watching some news show with One Direction’s faces plastered all over it.

          “Geez those boys are everywhere...” I mumbled to myself, shutting the door. “Hey, Bells!”

          “Sup, bitch?” She said, playfully. “What’d you say?”

          “Oh, nothing,” I told her, heading to the fridge. I searched for anything that was delicious. I settled on a giant jar of peanut butter. Grabbing a spoon, I headed over to the couch and sitting next to Bella.

          “What did you do today, curls?” She asked, using her nickname for me.

          “I applied for a job at a bakery,” I told her, happily munching on my peanut butter.

          She groaned. “You’re fucking boring! I want you to go out right now and come back telling me you met a guy or something!” She said, literally getting me back up and shoving me towards the door.

          “Wait! I met several guys today,” I smirked, searching through my bag.

          “You lucky little hoe,” She said, smirking too. “Tell me about them then. Were they sexy?”

          I laughed, hiding my notebook behind my back. “Oh yeah, totally sexy; there was five of them. They practically had girls eating out of the palm of their hands though. I mean swarms of them were around them. But they chose to talk to me–”

          “Enough of this crap! Did you get their numbers?” She asked, squealing.

          “No,” I said as Bella’s face shrunk. “But I got their signatures.” I said, handing my notebook to Bella.

          “What the hell are their signatures gonna do–” Bella abruptly stopped in mid-sentence. She stared in awe of the book in her hands. She smiled and took in a breath that’s when I knew to plug my ears. Bella screamed for at least two minutes.

          “You lucky bitch!” She said. “You fucking met fucking One fucking Direction! Oh my fucking god! Where they as sexy in person as they were on X Factor? Jesus, Kat! This is fucking fuck-tastic! Tell me all about it!” She said, sitting me on the couch. Her eyes were wide with excitement.

          I licked my peanut butter before saying, “Well, there’s nothing much to tell. I was headed out a shop and saw this massive whirlpool of girls and paparazzi. Then, I saw One Direction crossing the street with like six or seven bodyguards. One of them told me that there were no autographs today because my notebook was out–”

          “Paul!” Bella interjected.

          I sighed, continuing. “I told him that it was fine because he was _massive_ and I didn’t think I could take him. Then the blonde one–”

          “Niall!” Bella said again.

          “Whatever! Bella let me finish!” I yelled at her and she quickly sunk a bit. “Then _Niall_ stopped me and asked if I wanted an autograph. I told him yes because I figured you knew them.”

          “That’s so sweet,” She said, looking at the autographs. Her eyes suddenly light up. “Apparently, Niall thought you were too! He totally thought you were fit!”

          “He didn’t!” I argued. “He thought I was _sweet_ probably for being polite! Those fucking cunts should probably try it sometime...”

          “Directioners,” Bella said, randomly.

          “Pardon?” I asked.

          “Those fucking cunts are called Directioners.” Bella said. “They like One Direction.” She concluded seeing my clearly clueless face.

          “Oh,” I nodded. “Hey, what’s Tumblr?”

          “Only the most awesome thing ever! Why do you ask?” She asked as she grabbed her laptop.

          “A _Directioner_ told me about it,” I said, using my new vocabulary.

          She laughed, logging on to Tumblr. “Here this is my dash...”

          It all went downhill from there...

 

 

          In only a few hours, I had gotten four followers including Harmony and Bella. I think I was addicted because I was reblogging left and right, following people, and laughing my ass off at some awesome people. I didn’t really post Directioner stuff other than the fact I met them today and Harmony.

          I got off at about two am. I huddled in my fort of blankets on stuffed animals. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

 

          _I was laughing. I was laughing hard at this guy next to me. It was his laugh. It was cute and really indescribable. I caught sight of his beautiful face. His eyes were bluer than a million shining sapphires and he was smiling with his mouth full of braces._

_“I love you,” He spoke softly. “I love you so much...” He kissed me as softly as he spoke._

_It drifted to blackness as his words kept replaying like a beautiful song in my head._

_I love you... I love you so much..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter!


	3. Too Much For The Night

Chapter 3: Too Much For the Night

          It was in the middle of the first day of college. I was having a hard time catching up. England's definition of _college_ was very different than America's. I was going to be well on my way to an English degree here. I didn't have to take math! That would probably be the best part of this whole experience.

          Next thing I know I'm running into someone. This person was built like a brick so I assumed it was a guy.

          "I'm so sorry..." A gruff voice said.

          _A hot guy..._   I thought. This guy was beautiful. His eyes were a crystal blue color that drew me in. His hair was so dark brown that it was almost black. I wanted to brush it out of his face. He wore a leather jacket.

          "No," I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

          He laughed. "I remember you. You're from my creative writing class, right?"

          "Mrs. Langley?" I asked, wondering why I hadn't remembered this man before.

          "Yeah," He nodded. "I'm Damien Macy."

          "I'm Kat Cox..." I told him with a smile.

          We walked together and had lunch together. Damien was so interesting. He had different views about the world. I'd never met anyone like him. The whole day flew by because of him.

          As we sat outside the school, the honking of a car pulled me from my conversation with Damien.

          I recognized Bella's car immediately. "Sorry, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you Damien."

          "You too, Kat," He smiled, waving goodbye.

          "Oh, who's the cutie?" Bella asked as I sat in the passenger's seat which was on the _left_ side.

          "His names Damien and I just met him today, Bells," I told her, rolling my eyes.

          She laughed. "Well, if you don't date him, I will."' 

          "Just drive, woman!" I shouted. "I'm late for work!"

 

          “But seriously Kat you could be like his twin or something!” Harmony exclaimed as we walked down the street towards our flats.

          “I seriously doubt your whole ‘long-lost-twin’ theory, Harm,” I said, laughing.

          “You never know!” She said, completely serious. “I read all the magazines and watch all the interviews, Kat! You don’t. I’m telling you everything that comes out of Harry Styles’ mouth has come out of yours... just faster.”

          I laughed, shaking it off. “Whatever, Harmony! I’m gonna head me way now. See ya tomorrow, babe!” I called to her, walking the opposite of her path.

          “Bye, Styles!” She called. I really hoped she wasn’t calling me that from now on.

          Harmony and I’s friendship had blossomed ever since I’d started working at _Shakes & Bakes_. She was a self-proclaimed Directioner and her main focus was Harry with Niall at a close second. But she’s always said if she had to choose who to Fuck, Chuck, or Marry she’d fuck Harry, chuck Adam (whoever the fuck that was), and marry Liam.

          Suddenly my phone buzzed and I saw I had a new text:

          _From Bella:_

_Heeyy, Kitty Kat! I’m staying over a Scott’s 2night!! No dirty thoughts! Will you survive without me 4 the night? xx_

          I laughed texting her back that yes, I would be okay without her. Scott was her newly found boyfriend if you hadn’t guessed. I guess it was grilled cheese for the night. Yum!

          I had made it to the flat okay. I unlocked my key safe and not raped. I looked in my living room and there she was. I shut my door, unable to say much. I kind of stood there in shock.

          Why was she here? All the way from America? That must’ve been a seven hour flight. How’d she get in my house?

          “Hey, Mom.”

          I stared at the brunette in my living room. She was crying, makeup stained tears running down her face. Her blue eyes told me they were happy tears.

          “Hey, baby,” She said before her rush of explanations exploded in my face. “I know this is short notice but I just missed you. I’ve got something important to tell you. It’s too important to call you about. I knew about it when you left and I know that two months is a little late but this couldn’t wait, baby.”

          “It’s okay, Mom,” I said. “Do you want something? Tea? Water?”

          “Yeah, I’ll have some water,” She said, sitting back down on the couch.

          I handed her a cup of water and sat down next to her. “I just have one question before we start this.” I told her.

          “Anything,” She answered breathlessly.

          “How’d you get into my house?” I asked, seriously.

          She laughed though. “Bella told me where to go and told me where the spare was. In the potted plant, really, Kat? That’s expected.”

          I looked at her. I put it there because I thought it was _un_ expected. I shrugged, guess not. “What did you have to tell me, Mom?”

          Her look turned a bit more serious and melancholy. “There’s something I haven’t told you yet. Something about our family.”

          She paused, letting me ponder that statement. What couldn’t she have told me? My dad left us when I was two so was it something about his family? Oh my god, was I a princess like in _Princess Diaries_? That would be awesome.

          “I...” She paused, swallowing. “I have a sister.”

          Well, I wasn’t a princess but that was pretty shocking. There was a whole side of my family I didn’t know about. “How could you not tell me?” I asked. I was completely heartbroken but it’s pretty hard to keep a sister a secret.

          “Let me explain, please,” She begged. “When I was little, _my_ parents divorced. My dad got custody of me and my mother of my sister. My dad decided a few months after the divorce he wanted to move to America. I was devastated about leaving my sister even though she was older.

          We did it anyway and then I grew up, met your dad, and had you. Once I was free of my father, I decided to visit my sister back in England. You were about two at the time. I met my sister, Anne, again and it turned out she had a child too, a little boy the same age as you.” She wiped her tears away as she pulled something from her purse.

          I felt tears well up in my eyes as she showed me a picture. It was two little kids. One of them was a little girl and the other was a boy both had full heads of curls. They were playing in, what I assumed a backyard. They were both smiling as the boy chased the girl.

          “The boy’s your cousin,” She told me. “His name’s Harry. He’d be seventeen now. He’s about two weeks older than you, born on February first.”

          “Oh my god,” I said, under my breath. “We _played_ in the backyard together? How could you keep this from me?”

          “I’m sorry, sweetie,” was all she could say. “You both loved each other so much. It was hard when we moved back to America. You both were so heartbroken. Anne said Harry didn’t say anything for a month. You just moped around the house. I figured if you two weren’t reminded of each other when you were older then you wouldn’t have to hurt so much anymore...”

          I couldn’t say anything more. I just kept staring at that damn picture. We looked so happy and now we were strangers.

          “Don’t look like that,” Mom blurted out.

          “Look like what, Mom?” I said, suddenly angry. “Upset? Unhappy? Angry? I am, Mom. I’m upset you kept this from me. I’m unhappy right now. I’m angry you chose to tell me now.”

          “I haven’t told you the good part, baby,” She said, gently wiping away a tear from my face. “Anne knows you’re here. She wants to catch up. She lives in Cheshire which is only three hours away and Harry’s visiting this weekend. It’ll be great. We can leave tomorrow, yes?”

          I nodded, “Sure, Mom, that’d be great. Can Bella come?”

          “Sure, baby,” She said.

          I just fell into her arms at that point. I was exhausted and hungry but too lazy to make food for myself. This was just too much for the night...

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to comment! Also let me know what you think on my Tumblr!


	4. I am God's Play Thing

Chapter 4: I Am God’s Play Thing

 

          I was slowly falling asleep in Bella’s blue _Mini Cooper_. She’d named it Grace for some reason. I sat in the back seat, listening to the songs of _Ed Sheeran_. Bella had said he’d become a huge star now that all the Directioners loved him.

          I just loved his music. I loved t he way it flowed and sounded meaningful. Each song had a story behind it and I think that’s why it seemed to just fall off his lips. He was a true storyteller and with the easy beats of his slower songs behind his words it made for amazing, tearful music. Right then _Kiss Me_ was entering my ears and hopefully staying there.

          With an hour and a half left, I had time to actually think for a second and let my brain processing what was happening. I was getting new people in my life. That should seem like a good thing in other’s eyes but not mine. My dad had left me when I was two. He’d picked up his stuff and was gone just like that. Every time I meet a new person that’s what comes back into my head. My _father_ left. The most important man in my life could leave without an inch of regret. So what would make this new person so unlike him? They could pick up and leave if they wanted too.

          Each new person I meet is basically like a ticking time-bomb to me. I sit around waiting for them to leave me so there’s no shock and if there’s no shock, there’s no hurt. I haven’t had a boyfriend since I was thirteen and he was a total douche. He broke my heart as well. I caught him with another girl. Bella was there to pick up the pieces and my mom too.

          That’s when I turned to girls. I was bisexual there for a bit and I’d kissed one or two girls but then I realized I was just looking to _feel_ something. I liked being with girls, ironically, because there was no drama. They knew exactly how you felt and they knew what would hurt and what wouldn’t. Boys, however, were completely clueless. The nice ones never knew what to do and the douche-bags knew but didn’t care. I’m not bi anymore though. I guess it was just experimentation.

          I glanced outside as the city streets started turning into farms and fields. The song on my iPod switched to _The Parting Glass_ by _Ed Sheeran_. It was his cover of an old Irish folk song. It was kind of fitting if you think about it. I’ve always thought of Ireland as stretches of farmland and hills and just _green_. That’s kind of what the Cheshire countryside was like.

          What kind of person was blessed to live out here? Did this tell me a bit about my estranged aunt? As much as I’m fretting meeting new people, my little mind can’t help but make up what she’s like. She must be beautiful. I think she and my mother will look much alike. She’ll have brown hair and blue eyes. But Anne is different in her own way. She’s got the same outline but still writes her own story.

          _No_. I argued with myself about this quite often. One of the things I do is I make up scenarios in my head. I set myself up for heartbreak with this. I’ll build up a person and make them up to be who I want them to be but they never turn out like that. For all I know, Anne could be a drug addict of some sort and be blonde with brown eyes. She’s probably awful and didn’t want to talk to me really. Mom probably just begged her.

          “Kat?” Bella’s voice broke my deep thoughts.

          My head snapped in her direction. I pulled out my right earbud to hear her properly. “Yeah?”

          “We’re here.” She told me, smiling even.

          I noticed my mom had already left the car and had knocked on the door. I saw a glimpse of a woman, beckoning my mom to enter. Once she did, I suddenly felt alone even though Bella was right outside the car, waiting for me.

          “Come on, Kit-Kat!” She shouted, using my nickname hoping to make me a little less scared.

          It wasn’t working.

          This was the point I thought of a _Ramones_ song called _I Wanna Be Sedated_. I kinda just wanted to pass out but sadly I didn’t. I felt like I was going to throw up and thankfully I didn’t.

          I eventually got out of the car. I played with my outfit a bit. I had on my _Ramones_ T-shirt, ripped up jeans, white converse, and gray beanie. Was it too casual? What if Anne was this big fancy woman and I was dressed in _this_?

          “Do I look okay?” I asked Bella who was heading up the stairs to the porch.

          “You look great,” She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. “It’s very hipster casual.”

          I gave her a have smile as she opened the door and walked right in like this was her house. The house wasn’t too fancy. It was more like a cottage. From the door you see this huge living room with a fireplace and a couch. From the living room lead to the kitchen and from there was a backyard. There were two bedrooms down stairs and some upstairs.

           Kat,” The woman who was my aunt said, pushing past Bella. I was surprised she didn’t mistake Bella for me. “I’m Anne. Let me look at you.” She smiled, holding my face in her hands.

          While she examined me, I studied her. She was sort of like I pictured. She had a beautiful face. Her nose was perfect and her smile was too. She had dimples like me. Her skin was tan. Her eyes were sparkling blue and her hair was straight and brown. She was a couple years older than my mom but still had a young vibe about her.

          “You look just like your mommy,” She said, letting go of me. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady, Kitty Kat.”

          I blushed, smiling a bit. I barely knew this woman but yet I liked her. I liked her a lot.

          She laughed and it sounded like beautiful wind chimes. “You have dimples! That’s so cute. I mean I’ve got dimples but you work them like a little child. I bet you’ve used them to get in and out of trouble once or twice, yeah, Beck?”

          My mom laughed. “Don’t I know it? Let’s say we crack out the wine, Annie? Let you know who and Kat catch up on their own. Bella, you’re of age right?” Mom stood and pulled Bella towards the kitchen.

          “That’s right, Ms. Cox,” Bella said, nodding. Bella loved wine the best but she rarely got a taste of it.

          “He’s outside,” Anne said, simply to me.

          I nodded, opening up the door to the back door. Their backyard was incredibly beautiful and eventually led into an old field.  I stood on the porch overlooked the yard. Patches of flowers were lined against the house. A table and chairs stood on brick titles for a nice place to eat outside. It was November though so everything was dormant. No snow was on the ground but it was pretty chilly. I couldn’t imagine what this place was like in the summer.

          I found the boy sitting on the ground, leaning on the trunk of a tree. He faced away from me. He seemed to be talking to someone on the phone. He wore a denim button up shirt with black jeans. His shoes matched mine.

          I slowly crept up behind him, eavesdropping a bit.

          “I’ll be back in London tomorrow, Lou,” He spoke with a deep voice. He laughed in a joking manner with whoever was on the other line. “What? I can’t visit my mum for a bit? It’s important trust me. I gotta go, Lou. Bye, love you.” He hung up the phone and sighed.

          I gulped and decided to just go for it. “Hi,” I said, blankly.

          He jumped and turned to look at me. He smiled and stood. “You must be Kat.” He held out his hand.

          “That’s me,” I smiled, taking it. “You’re Harry.”

          Harry was my age: seventeen. He was handsome. He had dimples when he smiled. His eyes matched my weird hazel color that looked blue at different angles. His brown hair was full of curls, just like mine.

          “Wanna sit?” He asked, pointing to the trees.

          I nodded, sitting across from him. “This is too weird.” I blurted out.

          He laughed, “Agreed. Tell me your story.” He spoke so confidently. He sat back, waiting for my words.

          I took a breath. “My story’s long and complicated. I was born in America. I grew up without a dad and my mom moved me to England and then back to the U.S by the age of four. That’s when we first met actually.” I took out Mom’s picture of Harry and me and handed it to him.

          He looked at it and his eyes rose automatically. “I think Mum’s showed me this picture before. Whenever I asked her who this girl was, she always told me ‘she’s a story for another day’. Legend; I guess I hearing that story now.” He laughed.

          I continued my story with a smile. “I grew up in Virginia which is totally boring. If you ever go to the states, I suggest Florida or New York,” His face seemed to change to a confused look. I decided to ignore it. “I totally went through a Goth phase when I was twelve, thirteen. That’s when I met my best friend, Bella. She’s the reason I’m here right now. She forced me to move to London to go to university. She’s in her second year of it right now. I currently work in a bakery and that’s about it.”

          Harry laughed.

          “Well, tell me about you now,” I said, tapping his foot with mine.

          “Um,” He searched for the memories. “Well, I was born and raised in Holmes Chapel. I started a band when I was like fourteen. It was called _White Eskimo_.”

          I laughed. “What the hell is a _White Eskimo_?”

          “I don’t know,” He shrugged. “We thought it sounded cool. Anyways, we broke up and I tried out for _X Factor_ , ever heard of it?”

          “That talent show?” I asked.

          “Yeah,” He nodded. “I got put in a band and we came in third. We’re still going strong now.”

          “Really?” I asked, excited. “What are you called? Are you popular? Why didn’t I know this?”

          “Do you know–?” He started to say but he was cut off by screaming but not any kind of screaming, fangirl screaming. Bella was running full force at Harry. I saw this look of pure terror on his face. My mom and Anne were standing at the door. Bella had obviously broken free of their grip.

          I stood and ran out of Bella’s way. “What the hell, Bella?!” I shouted at her.

          She was now on top of Harry. She wasn’t doing anything but hugging him. There was something I wasn’t getting here. I pried Bella off of Harry. He stood, rearranging his clothes.

          “Alright,” I said as strongly as I could. I could feel Mom and Anne’s eyes on me. “What the hell is going on? Bella why did you tackle him? You save your tackles for celebrities.” They both looked at me like I was stupid.

          “You seriously don’t get it, Kat?” Bella asked eyes on Harry. “I thought you were supposed to be the _smart one_ in this duo.”

          “Huh?” I shook my head, still not understanding.

          “He _is_ a celebrity, Kat,” Bella said like it all was completely oblivious.

          Then it hit me. It hit me like a _ton of bricks_. _I got put in a band_. _Still going strong. He_ is _a celebrity. X Factor._

          “Wow,” I said, blatantly. “I am God’s play thing.”

          “What?” Harry asked, confused.

          “It’s okay, Haz,” Bella told him. “She gets it now. She’s mulling it over in her head. Be prepared for something.”        

          “How in the _hell_ do I get you for a cousin?” I asked no one in particular.

          By this time, Bella, Mom, and Anne had backed out of this conversation. They probably felt the tension between Harry and I and retreated quickly.

          “I don’t understand,” Harry said. “Do you hate me or something? Are you one of those people?”

          “No,” I shook my head. “I don’t know you. That’s the problem. Will I ever be able to separate what I hear from Bells or magazine articles from who you really are?”

          “Well,” Harry said. “My name is Harry Edward Styles. I’m eighteen and I’m in One Direction. People think I’m some sort of man-whore who preys on older women even though I’m not. I do lean towards older women though. I have a cat and Chris Martin from Coldplay is one of my idols–”

          There was something soothing in his voice that quickly changed my mood. Maybe having Harry Styles for a cousin wouldn't be so bad. “Okay, okay,” I exclaimed, laughing. “I get it. Wanna got inside? I hear they broke out the wine.”

          “Okay but first,” He said, pulling out his phone. “Give me your number and address. You live in London right?”

          I nodded, putting my phone number into his and his into mine. I just gave him my address so Bella couldn’t track him down.

          Then we went inside. I like Harry. I feel like I’ve known him for a long time. Well, I have but I didn’t know I did. I have a feeling we’re going to be like siblings not to long from now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you peeps enjoyed it! A little tiny foreshadow at the end there :)


	5. Never Can Say Goodbye

Chapter 5: Never Can Say Goodbye

 

          “Just call him, Kat,” Bella said, irritated. She’d listened to my whining non-stop for three weeks.

          “I’m scared,” I said, staring at my phone. My thumb loomed over Harry’s number.

          “Stop being such a pussy and just call him already! I’m sick of hearing this!” Bella plopped on the couch, munching on carrots. It was something she was doing for Louis Tomlinson’s birthday in like three days. I honestly don’t know.

          I groaned. “But I don’t–” I stopped myself. I had accidently pressed the call button.

          “Hello?” Harry’s husky voice said on the other line. “Kat? Are you there?”

          “Hey, Harry,” Bella said in a flirty voice.

          “Shut up, Bella,” I said, putting the phone up to my ear. “Hey, Harry. It’s me, Kat. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out and do something. It’s been like a month and we haven’t done something together yet.”     

          “Oh, yeah,” He said. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been busying. We’re actually planning a tour – oh shit! Did Bella hear that?”

          I laughed. “No, she didn’t.”

          He sighed. “Don’t tell anyone I said that. Anyway, I’ll pick you up in like an hour, okay?”

          “That’s fine,” I told him. “Bye!”

          “Bye, love you,” he said, hanging up.

          “Love you?” I questioned.

          “He always says that to Louis after he says goodbye,” Bella said, calmly sitting on the couch and flipping through a magazine.

          “You’re such a freak,” I said, heading to my room.

          “You’re a bitch!” She shouted after me.

          I skipped into my room, deciding what to wear. I wasn’t putting too much effort into this. 

* * *

 

          “Bye, love you,” I said and then panicked, quickly hanging up. Why did I ever get into that habit? I turned, facing Louis at the kitchen table, eating cereal. He gave me _the look_.

          “Who was that?” He asked, peering at me from behind the cereal box.

          “No one, just some girl,” I said, not technically lying.

          “You said ‘love you’,” He stated. “You don’t say love you to _just some girl_. Who is she?”

          “I told you,” I said. “She’s just a girl I met a couple weeks ago. She wants to hang out.”

          “Ah,” He said, all-knowingly. “Is that why you’ve been so quiet these days? Thinking about a special someone...” He wiggled his eyebrows, suggestively.

          “No, Lou,” I lied. “I’m gonna go get ready.”

          He was right. I’d been quiet ever since I’d met Kat. I wasn’t in love with her like Lou thought. I was... intrigued by her. Ever since I first saw her in that _Ramones_ shirt, white converse, and beanie, I’d wanted to know more. I’d worn similar clothes on a number of occasions. If it hadn’t taken her forever to realize who I was, I would’ve thought she’d planned it. But no, she was just being herself. That freaked me out a bit that we were so alike.

          After saying a quick goodbye to Lou, I headed out the door and started driving down the road towards Kat’s flat. She was a good forty-five minutes away.  

          What were the odds of that though? My cousin who had lived in America for a majority of her life had moved just forty-five minutes down the road. This whole idea was crazy. The paparazzi were bound to find us and start some new rumor. Ironically, Adele’s _Rumor Has It_ started playing on the radio. I laughed and sang along, driving down the road.

          The flats were in the quaint side of London even though the London Eye was right down the street. I knocked on Kat’s door.

          The door opened and her mental friend stood, leaning on the doorframe with one arm. I admit I thought Bella was hot but she was too insane of a Directioner. I was kind of scared at the moment.

          “Hey, Harry,” She said with a wink.

          “Hi,” I said, awkwardly waving.

          “Come in...” She said, moving out of the way.

          There flat was... cute. It wasn’t entirely big but a nice place. The thing that surprised me the most was the giant kitchen. One of them must cook. “Nice place...” I mumbled, awkwardly.

          “Thanks,” Bella smiled. “Nothing compared to yours though, right?”

          “No, not really,” I admitted, shaking my head. “Where’s Kat?”

          “She’s coming,” Bella said. She moved towards me and I flinched back.

          “Don’t worry; I’m not going to tackle you.” She brushed a curl out of my face. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that... Oh my god, I’ve got to tweet this!” She excitedly pulled out her phone.

          “No!” I said, breaking my momentarily fear-induced coma. “You can’t. I want this on the down-low, okay?”

          “Relax,” Bella said, not putting away her phone. “I won’t say much. Don’t be such a baby...”

          I grabbed her phone from her hands. “You can’t! Please, Bella, I need you to understand. If you even tweet that one thing, paparazzi will track Kat down find out why I’m here. They’re mental. I’m putting her at risk by even going out with her.”

          “Fine,” She said, grabbing back her phone and falling over the side of the couch to the cushions.

          “Thank you,” I told her.

          “How do I look?” My head turned to the brunette standing to my front. Kat looked beautiful even in casual wear. She had on black skinny jeans, white converse, and a purple V-neck shirt that said _that shit’s cray_.  I laughed thinking of Niall.

          “You look awesome,” I told her. “Nice shirt by the way.”        

          “My idea!” Bella called from the couch. “I ship Kiall.”

          “Pardon?” I asked, looking at Kat with risen eyebrows.

          “ _Kiall_ is a ship I made up. It’s Kat and Niall’s name together. I think they’d be great together considering how good of a cook she is.” Bella explained, not looking up from her phone.

          Kat shrugged when I shot her a look. “I think she’s insane.” She made her way over to a coat rack and grabbed a jacket and sunglasses.

          “Me too,” I whispered to her. I lead her down the car in the car park.  I hopped inside but Kat stood in awe outside the passenger side door.

          “This is your car? Sweet baby Jesus,” She exclaimed. “That shit’s cray.” She laughed, pointing to her shirt. She finally hopped in the car and I started to drive.

          “Where are we going?” Kat inquired, flipping through radio stations.

          “A pub called _McGinty’s_ ,” I told her, keeping my eyes on the road.

          “At one in the afternoon?” She looked at me like I was a two-headed purple giraffe.

          “Not to drink, babes,” I laughed. “They’ve got food and, the best part, karaoke.”

          “Ha ha... no,” She said, finally settling on a station. _Makes Me Wonder_ by _Maroon 5_ was playing. It was towards the end of the song and Kat immediately started singing along.

          “Give me something to believe in, ‘cause I don’t if it’s true anymore, anymore,” Kat belted out the last high note. “I wonder if it makes a difference to cry. So this is goodbye, so this is goodbye, yeah, yeah, yeah. So this is goodbye...”

          “You like Maroon 5?”

          “Love ‘em,” She laughed. “They are like the greatest band ever created.”

          I chuckled. “Thanks so much.”

          “Oh, right, sorry,” she shrugged as the next song came on.

          I laughed as Liam’s voice rang throughout the car. It was _What Makes You Beautiful_.

          Kat groaned. “I’ll stay on it for you. I know all of the words anyway. Bella forced me to learn.”

          I shrugged.

          “You’re insecure, don’t know what for! You’re turning heads when you walked through the door! Don’t need make-up to cover up. Being the way that you are is enough!” Kat sang, looking out the window.

          I started belting out my part. She smiled at me and sang along. By the end we were laughing out asses off and had pulled into the car park. _McGinty’s_ was a small pub the boys and I had found while running away from crazy fans. We walked inside and sat down at a booth.

          “This place is quaint yet buzzing. I like it,” Kat said, examining all around her.

          “I thought you might. The plus side is that none of our fans would expect us to be in a pub.” I told her.

          “Yeah considering you’re under age,” She remarked.

          We eventually got drinks and fish and chips which Kat was chewing down on. She didn’t look like she cared who was watching.

          She wiped her face, swallowing. “Sorry. I eat like a pig.” She blushed, not meeting my eyes.

          I laughed. “It’s fine. I actually like it when girls can each faster than I can. It shows they’re okay with themselves.”

          She laughed. “Well, I’m okay with myself. I can assure you of that...”

          “You know,” I said, changing the subject. “You were pretty good in the car. You wanna take the stage.”

          She laughed. “No way! I can’t do that in front of people.”

          “Come on! You sang in front of me...” I said, wiggling my eyebrows at her and awaited an answer.

          “Fine!” She rolled her eyes. She went over to the DJ and decided on a song. She finally took the stage. No one but me was paying attention to her.

          The beat started and I recognized it as _Never Can Say Goodbye_ by _The Jackson 5_. I didn’t know if _The Jackson 5_ was as huge in England as it was in America.

_I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now._

_I never can say goodbye._

_Even though the pain and heartache_

_Seems to follow me wherever I go,_

_Though I try and try to hide my feelings,_

_They always seem to show._

_Then you try to say you're leaving me_

_And I always have to say no,_

_Tell me why is it so._

          She seemed nervous at the start. I thought she looked wonderful up there. She nervously held on to the microphone. Her hazel eyes flittered back and forth between people.

 

_That I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now._

_I never can say goodbye._

_Every time I think I've had enough_

_And start heading for the door,_

_There's a very strange vibration_

_Piercing me right through the core,_

_It says, "Turn around, you fool, you know you love him more and more."_

_Tell me why is it so._

_Don't wanna let go._

_Never can say goodbye._

_Boy, Oh oh baby._

_Never can say goodbye. No no no no no oo._

_Oh, I never can say goodbye._

_Boy oh._

 

          Soon she started to loosen up and even started bouncing to the beat. She smirked a lot as people started looking at her.

 

_I never can say goodbye. No no no no no oo._

_Never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now._

_I never can say goodbye._

_I keep thinking that our problems_

_Soon are all gonna work out._

_But there's that same unhappy feeling,_

_There's that anguish, there's that doubt._

_It's the same old dizzy hangup,_

_Can't do with you or without._

_Tell me why is it so_.

 

_Don't wanna let go._

_Never can say goodbye._

_Boy, Oh oh baby._

_Never can say goodbye. No no no no no oo._

_Oh, I never can say goodbye._

_Boy oh._

 

          Kat sang out the last words with great pitch. She was phenomenal. I guess it was a part of the family. I stood clapping and shouting for her like an idiot. She curtseyed and blushed, running towards me.

          I laughed and hugged her. “You did it!”

          “That was the most terrifying experience of my life,” She smiled. “Let’s go...”

          I paid for our food as Kat hurriedly took my hand, running out of the place. I was surprised when we exited paparazzi was crowded around the place. That’s when I went into “big brother mode” and wrapped an arm around Kat, hiding her face. I lead her into the car and sped off.

          “What the hell was that?” Kat asked, breathlessly.

          “The paparazzi,” I told her. “I don’t know how they found out we were there. They probably got shots of you.”

          “Is that bad?” Kat asked, biting her nails.

          “Don’t bite your nails, babe,” I told her. “And not necessarily; It depends on what they use them for.”

          “You bite your nails!” She exclaimed. “Geez, when did you become my dad?”

          I laughed, “I _am_ older.”

          “By two weeks!” She smiled at our banter. “I like you. No, what I should say is I _missed_ you...”

          Our talks fell to silence as I dropped her off at the flat. We stood outside her door, locked in a hug. I realized I missed her too.

          “Bye, Harry,” She waved, heading in the door.

          “Wait, Kat,” I blurted out. “We should do this again. How about next week?”

          She nodded, “Sure. I’d like that.” She went inside.

          I smiled to myself. I wondered what our life would be like if we had known each other that whole thirteen years.

 

          When I got home, it was more interrogations by Lou. I didn’t tell him much. My excuse was that I just went out. I headed to bed, easily falling asleep with a song playing in my head.

          _Never can say goodbye, boy..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liiikkkeeedddd iittttt! She'll meet the boys soon I promise!


	6. The Boys

Chapter 6: The Boys

 

          It was a few weeks after Harry and I have visited _McGinty’s_. We had been there a couple times after. He also took me to a vintage music shop and the zoo. Both of them were awesome and enjoyable.

          “Why are you so dressed up?” Bella asked me as I sat in the kitchen.

          “Harry’s picking me up today,” I told her. It was late January. I was dressed. A bright red tanks top with a black and white striped blazer over it and bright blue skinny jeans. I had on black flats with a mustache necklace.

          “God, ” Bella whined. “You two have been inseparable since _that_ day. ” Bella always referred the day Harry and I met as to ' _that_ day' because she totally fangirled on him. Sadly, Bella and Harry didn't really get along. They both were to hot-headed and stubborn. They had agreed to _try_ to get along for the sake of my friendship with both of them.

          Bella gasped from her computer. "I can't believe what _Sugarscape_ is saying about you. One person said ' _I bet this is all just a stunt. If it isn't then why are they keeping it secret? I bet that chick is just some stupid hoe the found off the street who need some cash_ '. What the hell? _She's_ the hoe, Kat, let me tell you! I've seen this screen name on every post of you they have of you. She's probably a Larry shipper... stupid hoe." Bella mumbled the last part as she eagerly started typing away.          Bella had become sort of my publicist/stylist/secretary since I was more out in the public. Harry hadn't released my name and who I was but I was very public in the picture department. I have become _#MysteryGirl_ on Twitter and millions of fans have theories of who I was and none of them were right.

          When I heard the door bell, I opened up and found Harry. He was smiling in jeans and a white T-shirt. A light jacket was on his back also. "Hey," He said. "Ready to go?"

          "Yeah,"  I nodded. "Bye, Bells!" I called to my scheming friend on her laptop.

          "Hm? Oh, yeah, bye Curls!" Bella called. "Bye, dick-face!"

          "Bye, Bella," Harry called back to Bella, surprisingly answering to her teasing.

          I laughed. "So, where to today?" I asked Harry as we climbed in his car. I still couldn't get over how nice it was but then again when you're an international pop-star you _can_ have nice things.

          "Home," He said, simply. I heard the distinct click of the car door locking. "I want you to meet them."

          "No," I shook my head, vigorously. "Don't, Harry! No, I'm not ready yet!" I said, desperately trying to open the car door... stupid child locks. Whoever invented those was an idiot.

          "Yes, you are!" Harry argued. "They keep asking questions and it's getting harder to dodge them. I think it's the right time, Kitty."

          "Whatever..." I mumbled, crossing my arms like a five year old. Harry drove us towards his flat. He turned up the radio to one of my favorite songs: _Rolling in the Deep_ by _Adele_. I loved _Maroon 5_ but nothing could get between me and my Adele. She was the anger and soul that _Maroon 5_ sometimes couldn't give me.

          "Come on, Kitty," Harry urged. "I love it when you sing this." He said, smiling. He knew I couldn't resist.

          "The scars of your love remind me of us," I sang, proudly and loudly. "They keep me thinking that we could've had it all. The scars of your love they leave me breathless. I can't help feeling... We could've had it all! Rolling in the deep... You had my heart inside of your hand and you played to beat..."

          After a few more songs and a few lectures from Harry, I still hadn't warmed up to the idea of meeting the boys. My dad leaving me was still in the back of my head. I tried to brush off that idea. This was permanent. Harry would be here forever and so would his friends... I hoped. Anne had even called me a couple times since meeting her. They were here to stay.

          Harry fumbled with his key before opening the door to his flat. He walked up to a guy with brown hair and blue eyes. That was Louis. That had to be him. Harry had told me about each of the boys an even showed me pictures. Bella had made me memorize each of their names.

          My ears stopped working as I watched Harry talk to Louis. I saw them motioning to me and someone at their right. Then, Harry brought Louis towards me. At least Louis was smiling.

          "Hi, I'm Louis," He held out a hand.

          "Kat," I smiled, taking it.

          "You're this mystery girl then," Louis said, looking me up and down. "You and Harry are like twins. It's freaky." He said that last part to Harry.

          "I know," Harry said, nodding. "You can't deny the genes then, can you? She's my cousin."

          "I would've guess sister," Louis said. "Well, come on then, love. The boys are just in here." He took my arm and lead me into their living room. I was scared out of my mind at the moment when all three boys stood.

          "Boys," Harry said. "This is my cousin, Kat."

          "Hi," they all said.

          Louis pointed out and introduced each of them. "That's Liam." A boy of a pretty big structure waved. He smiled a lot and had a sort of puppy look about him. His eyes were brown and his brown hair was cut close to his face.

          "That's Zayn." Louis said and pointed to another boy who smiled. His hair was in a dark quiff and his eyes were brown also. He looked dark and mysterious but when he smiled that all went away.

          "And that's Niall," Louis said pointing to a boy who was absorbed in his toast but the jam was on the bottom side...weird. He had beautiful blue eyes that were like sapphires or something. His hair was dyed blonde with his brunette roots showing. He waved after taking a huge bite of his toast.

          I laughed. "Nice to meet you all."

          Zayn looked between Harry and I. His jaw hung open. "You two are like−"

          "Twins," Harry interrupted. "We know."

          "Anyway," Liam said. "We were watching Toy Story  if you wanted to join Kat."

          "I was waiting for Harry to make breakfast." Niall said, pointedly to Harry.

          "I'm not making anything." Harry shook his head.

          "I'll make something," I offered, wanting to make a good impression.

          "You cook?" All five boys asked simultaneously.

          I nodded.

 

          The beginning of _Famous_ by _Scouting For Girls_ played at I cracked a couple of eggs and put them in a pan. Niall helped a little bit by making toast. Liam then buttered them. Louis squeezed some oranges. Harry made some bacon. Zayn was setting the table.

 

* * *

 

           I admit I was a little star-struck by Kat. She was incredibly beautiful. Her hair was in perfect spirals and her dimples

were gorgeous. I was amazed that she wasn't even wearing make-up. Sure, she was Harry's cousin but that doesn't mean I couldn't look.

          She was scrambling the eggs, dancing. If you could call it that. I laughed as she did some weird moves that I couldn't describe. Harry smiled at her laughing. I think that they were pretty close. It'd been about three months since the whole mystery girl thing started.

          By time breakfast was finished, it was eleven o' clock. We all sat at the table. I was across from Kat with Harry by her side. Liam was next to me with Liam and Louis at the ends. Kat could eat let me tell you.

          "Damn, girl," Louis said. "You may eat faster than Niall."        

          "Fast metabolism," She said through gulps of orange juice.

          I sat in awe of this girl across from me. She was beautiful and ate like a pig. I think I was in love...

 

* * *

 

          After hours of just talking and multiple snacking by Niall and myself, I proceeded to tell the boys about how I got my head stuck in a gate.

          "So then they had to cut apart−"

          "When are we going to tell them," Harry said, interrupting.

          "Who?" I asked.

          "The fans," He replied. "When are we going to tell them about you?"

          "I don't know..." I said, continuing on with my story.

          It was now about three o' clock in the afternoon. We laid around the flat, lazily. I hung over the arm of the couch with the bottom half of my body in Liam's lap. He intensely watched Toy Story  2. Niall was eating cereal for some reason. Zayn was asleep and Harry and Louis were on their phones, sitting next to each other.

          "I'm bored!" I shouting over the ending scene of Toy Story.

          "What do you suppose we do, mistress of ceremonies?" Louis asked me.

          "Go somewhere?" I offered, looking at Louis.

          "How about the London Eye?" Liam asked. "Have you ever been there?" Toy Story's credits starting rolling.

          I shook my head, "No."

          "Yeah!" Niall agreed. "Let's go!"

* * *

 

          "Picture time, babe," Harry said.

          "Okay," I said, standing by him. The London Eye was the background. "Stick your tongue out." I commanded.

          "That's what she said..." Harry said and we both started laughing. I hadn't even realized. Then Harry accidently taken a picture when he was laughing.

          "I guess that's good enough," He said, posting it to Twitter.

          "Now the world knows about you," Niall said, giving me his arm. I wrapped mine around his, doing the same with Harry. We roamed the tourist populated streets.

          "I'm not so sure if that's a good thing." I said to no one.

          "It is." Louis said. "Now there's no more secrets. People can see it how they want."         

          "But what if they hate me?" I asked.

          Zayn laughed. "I don't think anyone could hate you. If they do though, it's best to either ignore it or reply with a positive retort."

          "Thanks, professor Zayn," I said, laughing.

          When we got to Harry and Louis's it was almost time for bed. The rest of the boys had retired to their flats. I decided I was going to stay in Harry and Louis's guest room. I sleepily climbed into bed and peacefully slipped into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Kat has finally met the boys! Woop Woop!


	7. Uncle Simon

Chapter 7: Uncle Simon

 

          I felt my heart beating like the wings of a hummingbird. I felt blush rush to my cheeks and started tapping my right foot nervously. I think I looked kind of classy. I had on a navy blue dress with a golden studded collar. My boots were tan with about an inch heel. My hair was pulled back into a pony tail with a lacey tan hair bow. I had navy blue colored nails and a two-finger ring with a bow on my left hand.

          This was a huge office building. We were on what seemed like the billionth floor to me. This was where the big boss man was housed. It was pretty snazzy if you ask me. The walls were a sleet gray with those perfect white molding. Everything was sleek and shiny. There were a few rooms with workers and their shiny desks in them. I walked with Harry at my side down a hallway towards a big door.

          It freaked me out how calm he was. His big arms swung back and forth like he was going to a party. His eyes didn't flicker to either side of the hallway. His eyes were like daggers, staring down the door. It was like he did this every day.

          The four other boys followed closely behind. It was almost as if I could feel their warmth and kindness in my back while Harry's hardness and strength was to my left.

          The door was getting closer and closer. I wanted it to stop but my feet wouldn't have it. They kept moving and pretty soon I came face first to a door. We didn't have the secretary with us since she knew One Direction pretty well.

          I took a deep breath. I felt a warm index finger interlock with mine. It was like a mini-hand hold. It gave me comfort and reassurance. "You can do this..." A sweet Irish accent whispered into my ear. I squeezed his finger once more before following Harry inside.

          As soon as I saw Simon there all official-looking, I panicked. I squeaked and make a quick turn to head towards the door. Niall caught me before I could start running. He quickly turned me around and I started walking towards Simon.

          I felt like a kindergartener going to the principal's office. What had I done?  It wasn't like I was in trouble. Simon just wanted to "speak" with us. I'd seen American Idol and I was scared shitless.

          "Hello, you must be Kat," Simon said in a posh British accent. He held out a hand.

          I hesitantly shook it. "Hi..." I said, shyly. We all sat down. Niall was on my right and Harry on my left. Simon was directly in front of me. Oh. My. God. I wanted to just curl up in a ball and die. Right there.

          "I'd like to discuss _this_ ," Simon said. I couldn't tell if he was being angry or whatever the other possible emotion was.

          "What's there to discuss?" Harry asked with a slight _tone_ to his voice.

          "The fact of what we are going to tell people," Simon said, a bit distraught. "You've done a terrible job. You've exposed this poor girl to all of the viciousness of your fans."

          I met Harry's eyes for a split second and I knew what we were thinking. "They're not _that_ bad..." I offered.

          Simon laughed.

          Wait... Did I just actually say that? Simon laughed. _The_ Simon Cowell just laughed? Well, he actually did.

          "Well, if you think so..." Simon shrugged. "I guess I've got nothing to worry about."

          All of the boys erupted in cheers. "Thanks, Uncle Simon!" They all exclaimed. They went behind the desk and hugged him. Poor Simon was surrounded and there was no escape.

          "Get over her, Kitty!" Harry encouraged.

          I shrugged. _What the hell?_ I ran over and hugged Simon tightly. I even kissed him lightly on the cheek. He didn't seem to mind.

          "It's time for celebratory Nando's!" Niall shouted.

          I laughed as we headed out the door.

          "Oh and Kat," Simon called. "The press would like to meet you."

          I looked at him a little confused. I was about to say something but he cut me off.

          "Details will be discussed further..." He said. "Let's just keep this between us, yes? That'll be all..." He said, turning back to his papers.

          "Okay..." I muttered to myself as I caught up with the boys. What had that been all about? I feel like Luke Skywalker and Simon was just Yoda. I mean seriously all throughout _The Empire Strikes Back_ , Luke was like WTF? whenever Yoda spoke.

          "Hey..." Niall brushed his fingers over my arm. "What's up?" he asked gently.

          "Nothing..." I said, ignoring the goosebumps.

          I was glad Niall left it at just that. I don't think I could've told him anything otherwise. _Let's just keep this between us..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short but I hoped you guys liked it!


	8. To The Zoo

Chapter 8: To The Zoo

 

          I was sleeping peacefully as sunlight streamed in through my window. I heard thumping throughout the flat.

          I closed my eyes, hearing six different shouts of "Wake Up!" Multiple peoples jumped on my bed, laughing and caring on. Bella and all of the One Direction boys lay on top of me. Any Directioner's dream...

          "Hi..." I said, calmly.  I could see all of the boys' smiling faces looking down at me. Bella snuggled next to me. "Kinda claustrophobic here..."

          "Sorry, love..." Liam said as they climbed off of me and sat at the end of my bed.

          I wiped my eyes, staring at the five boys. I realize I was in baggy sweats and a grubby T-shirt. I bet I looked so hot... "What's the plan today , boys and gal?"

          "All you today, babe," Niall answered. "Whatever you want to be done, it shall be done!" He said in his announcer voice.

          I laughed. Then, I smirked and stroked my invisible beard. "I want a threesome between Harry, Bella, and Liam! Ready? Engage!"

          I bursted out laughing at the sight of poor Liam's face. He looked like a lost puppy. Harry licked his lips which was _weird_. Bella just stared at me like a deer in headlights. Niall, realizing I was joking, laughed his signature laugh.

          "I'm kidding, guys," I told them.

          "Thank the Lord," Liam said.

          "I was about to punch you in the face," Bella said, pushing me off the side of the bed.

          I landed with a thud. "Ow..." I grunted. I was used to falling off and being pushed off my bed.

          Harry started laughing. "Nice."

          "Screw you," I told him, giving him the finger from the floor.

          "Wouldn't you like to?" He retorted.

          "Okay," Niall said, helping me up from the floor. "I'm not liking where this is going. How about breakfast?"

          "Sure," I said, ignoring the Goosebumps forming on my arm. We made our way into the kitchen. There was already plates strewn across the table. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast were in piles.

          "Holy crap," I exclaimed. "This could feed the starving kids in China! You guys..." I said, swooning and hugging each of them individually.  We sat down and happily munched on a piece of bacon.

          Across the table, I caught Niall watching me. These past few months we'd become great friends. We when out all the time like shopping and more often than not, eating. I always tried out new recipes on Niall. I could never trust him because he always told me he _loved_ my food.  I definitely liked him as a friend but anything more was a mystery to me.  

          My eyes light up as an idea popped in my head. "How about the zoo!"

          "Really?" Bella said, disappointed. "It's your eighteenth birthday and you want to go to the zoo? Are you kidding me? Most kids would want to buy alcohol and party but our pure Ms. Kat wants to go to the zoo."

          I nodded, "Pretty much."

          "You're so weird," Zayn snickered from behind me.

          "Thanks," I said, kissing his forehead. "Thanks everyone for the breakfast! I'm gonna get dressed!" I made my way into my bedroom with Bella trailing behind me.

          "So," Bella stated, shutting the door behind me.

          "So?" I asked, not understanding.

          "I saw it, Kat," Bella said.

          "I don't know what you're talking about, Bells," I told her, sifting through the piles of clothes in my room.

          "Niall," Bella uttered that single name.

          I felt my knees go weak. "What are you talking about?"

          "He likes you," She said. "You like him, don't you?"

          I was going to say some lie but I felt a slight tug in my stomach and it was all over. "Okay, I like him as a friend but there's always this feeling I get when I'm around him. I can't describe it. It's so frustrating and I just don't know."

          Bella laughed lightly, knowing she had cracked me. "That's called love."

          "But he's my friend..." I told her.

          "I know that. God, Kat, you are just so cliché. It's like there's some teenager whose writing this right now." Bella rolled her eyes.

          "What do I do?" I asked, ignoring this comment.

          "Be yourself," She said. "He'll eventually make a move."

          Leave it to Bella to confuse me even more.

          "Wear this," She said, slyly. She handed me an outfit to put on. She then just walked out the room, leaving me to my own devices.

          I groaned, falling into my pillow. I wished this was my life and not the complicated thing I'm living now.

          I put on the clothes Bella had picked out. They were very "zoo casual".  My shirt had a panda with a mustache on it on it. My jeans were maroon and were paired with black high-tops. Much to Bella's dismay, I wore a black hoodie and a knit panda hat pulled over my curls.

          We hopped in the van that the boys used to travel to interviews and stuff. I guess they could use it whenever they wanted. Honestly, I didn't question anything anymore. I plopped down next to Liam on my left with Bella on my right. Niall and Zayn were in the captain seats in front of us. Louis was driving and Harry was in the passenger seat.

          Bella was having mini-fangirl heart attacks next to me. She muttered, "Oh god... Oh god... It's the van... _the_ van. I'm dying, I'm dying. I'm dead."

          "Calm down, Bells," I told her with my "you're-acting-really-psycho-right-now" voice.

          Harry was flipping through radio channels and it landed on one of my favorite songs from my childhood. He flipped it and I quickly said, "Harry Styles, you better turn that back or I _will_ castrate you."

          Harry looked a little scared and flipped it back.

          "Oh my god!" Bella exclaimed. "I fucking _love_ this song!"

          Niall furrowed his eyebrows. "What is it?"

          I didn't answer and automatically started singing my part. " _One day, when I came home, at lunch time, I heard a funny noise_."

          Bella swiftly came in with her part. " _Went out to the backyard, to find out, if it was one of those rowdy boys_."

          Bella and I continued with the song as the boys stared at us like we were mentally impaired.

          "Oh! I _know_ this song!" Louis said. He began to sing along and by the second chorus the other boys knew it.

          " _I took a trip to the year 3000! This song had gone multi-platinum! Everybody bought our seventh album! It had also Kelly Clarkson! I took a to the year 3000! This song had gone multi-platinum!_ "

          "Oh the memories..." Bella sighed. "Dancing around my room, staying up until midnight, making out with my−"

          "Okay!" I interrupted her, blood rushing to my face. I remembered exactly what she was talking about.

          "Oh..." Liam cooed, poking my side. "You're blushing, Kat..."

          "Shut up," I muttered, unable to hide my smile. To avoid anything else, I placed my panda hat on Liam's head and snapping a picture. I tweeted it with the caption: **heading to the zoo for my b-day with these bunch of weirdos @Real_Liam_Payne @Harry_Styles @Louis_Tomlinson @zaynmalik @Niall_Offical @BelRamsay**

          I rolled my eyes at how quick the haters came to hate. It didn't even bother with them anymore. It was pointless stressing over people who didn't even know me.

          We pulled into the zoo parking lot or car park as English people call it. I felt a surge of excitement go through my body. You may be wondering why the zoo? My mom always took me to the Norfolk Zoo on my birthdays when I was little. It was the only place I remember being truly happy.  I can't even remember why I stopped coming to these places.

          I hopped on Harry's back. "On ward, my steed!" I shouted, pointing towards the entrance. Harry laughed and ran ahead of everyone. We were the first one to reach the gate.

          "We just got here guys!" Bella exclaimed. "Don't act like crack-heads _yet_."

          I placed my feet on the ground. "It's my birthday. I can act like a crack-head if I want!" I was the first one inside, laughing and motioning for my friends to hurry.

          The park was a giant circle. If you went clockwise, it was birds, monkeys, lions and tigers, reptiles, and then farm animals. With the farm animals, there was a petting zoo. I was so excited!

          Harry led us towards the left side with the birds. I felt my body tense slightly as we passed them. I glanced over and saw Niall was the farthest away from them with Louis staring them down.

          "You afraid of birds?" I asked Niall.

          His face turned red. "I know. Lame, right?"

          I laughed. "No. I'm terrified too. When I was little, the zoo we went to let geese run wild.  I was chased by one."

          Niall laughed. "Not as bad as my story. I was attacked by a pigeon... on the toilet."

          I bursted out laughing. "Oh my god! Really?! I'm sorry but that's hilarious."

          "Yeah, yeah..." Niall shoved his hands in his pockets.

          That's when we made our way past the monkeys. I didn't even finish seeing the birds? Well, I guess Louis can describe them for me. Then I saw the giant landscape with tigers.

          "Kitties!" Me and Harry, to my surprise, shouted. We ran towards the thin glass separating us and the huge cats.

          "That's it!" Liam shouted. "I'm convinced you two are the same person just with different bodies."

          I ignored him. The tigers were so beautiful. The orange and black fur on their lengthy bodies glistened in the sunlight. They stared at us with curious green eyes. Their paws were probably the size of my face. I wanted so desperately to pet one. "They're so pretty..." I muttered.

          After the kitties, we continued through the zoo. It was about five o'clock by time we had finished. We went to my birthday dinner which consisted of fish n' chips on a dock. I yawned, throwing myself on the lovely couch, at seven o' clock.

          "Alright now that that bits out of the way. What else do you want to do, Kat?" Bella asked me.

          I thought for a little bit. "Watch Lord of the Rings?"

          Bella rolled her eyes. "You are such a nerd! Why don't some of us go get food?"

          "I'm in," Liam said.

          "Me too!" Harry and Louis said at the same time. It was scary how close they were.

          "Might as well..." Zayn shrugged.

          "Niall?" Bella asked.

          "I think I might stay here..." Niall said, avoiding Bella's accusing eyes. "I love Lord of the Rings."

          All of the boys shrugged and followed Bella out the door.

          "Might as well put the movie in..." I said. I placed it in the DVD player and pressed play. "I will warn you I might fall asleep half-way through."

          Niall smiled. "That's cool."

          It was towards the part where Frodo was at the Elf's kingdom thingy. I felt my eyes drooping. I yawned, shaking myself awake. I was determined not to fall asleep. I couldn't help it. My eyes fell and I was asleep.

* * *

 

          I unlocked the flat door. The four boys behind me had very large bags of Chinese take-out. Most of it was for Niall. When we walked inside I saw the most beautifully cute thing ever. Niall was asleep on the couch with one arm on the arm of the couch and one was wrapped around Kat. Kat was snuggling close to him, snoring lightly.

          My little fangirl heart just couldn't take it. I squealed, "That's so cute." I was quiet enough to not wake up the sleeping couple. I snapped a couple of pictures before screaming in their ears.

          They were both really blushing while grabbing their food. Niall was smiling like an idiot. I knew they were going to be together forever. They just had to be...

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya liked it!!


	9. A Damien Date

Chapter 9: A Damien Date

 

          "Hey, Kat!" I heard a voice call as I walked down the halls of my college. It was a good two months after I'd turned eighteen. I turned and saw Damien in all of his perfectness. His flawless dark hair was brushed out of his face. His smile made his gorgeous blue eyes light up. _Niall's eyes are bluer_ , I thought.

          "Oh, hi," I said, wondering why that thought had pulled itself into my mind.

          "I haven't seen you in a while. What's going on?" Damien asked, walking with me.

          _Oh, nothing. I just found out I have a pop-star cousin that I never knew about. Also my crazy best friend thinks I should date Niall even though you're crazy hot_ , I thought. "Nothing..." I said, shrugging.

          Damien rose his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Well if you're life is just _so_ boring, how's about going out with me this Friday?"

          Oh, my god. Did he just say that? No. This can't be happening. Damien Macy, the hot sex-god of  a man, just asked measly ole' me out on a date. "Ummm..." I stuttered. "Sure, I guess."

          _Sure, I guess_? That's all you've got, Kat. Come on!

          "Great!" Damien said, clasping his hands together. "I'll pick you up at seven, yeah?"

          "Sure..." I said, losing my cool if I ever had any to begin with.

          "Awesome," Damien said. "Well, I've got a sociology class to go to. See you Friday, babes!"

          I could only manage a wave.

          Later that day, Bella came to school to pick me up. She rolled up in her bright blue Mini Cooper like a boss. "Sup, bitch?" she called.

          I just sighed, snuggling into the seat like a love-drunk girly girl. "Today was awesome..."

          Bella looked at me funny. "Alright, I'll bite. What's happening with you?"

          "Damien Macy asked me out." I sighed.

          "No way!" Bella squealed. "Is that the hot guy with the beautiful blackish hair?"

          I nodded.

          "Oh my god!" She squealed, speeding off towards home. "He's so fucking cute!"

          "I know," I sighed, staring out the window.

 

-x-

 

          The time had finally come. It was five thirty on _the_ Friday afternoon. I was scared shitless of course. I didn't know why though. He was a beautiful British guy and I was the lucky one to be on a date with him. We _were_ friends but obviously wanted to be more.

          I was now in my room with Bella. She was about to force me through masses of clothes. The boys waited in the living room to also judge my clothes.

          In the first outfit, Bella had put me in one of her dresses. It was fluffy and bright _pink_. That got a no from all of the boys and Bella regretted it.

          The next dress was light gray and had a cat face on my stomach. I thought it was cute when I bought it. Bella never liked it. All of the boys except Harry didn't like it.

          Numero tres dress was kind of cute. It was another of Bella's. It was blue with quarter length sleeves and the skirt went down to my mid-thigh. Louis, Niall, and Zayn all liked it. Harry was not having it and Liam thought it "exposed" me too much.

          I was just about to give up when Bella squealed, piles of clothes surrounding her. "This has got to be it!" She yelled.

          "It better be," I said, glancing at my clock. "It's six forty-five!"

          "Chill your beans and put this on," Bella commanded, throwing a tan dress at me.

          I did as she said. The dress was amazing. It was lacy and strapless. There was a lovely black bow wrapped around my torso. "I forgot I had this..." I said, amazed.

          "It's perfect." Bella dragged me into the bathroom. She struggled putting on my make-up because I fidgeted so much. I never trusted eyeliner before...

          I walked out into the living room. Each of the boy's mouth were open. "You look incredible..." Niall muttered, breathless.

          I curtseyed. "Thank you, kind sir..."

          "Wait," Bella yelped. She ran over to Harry and pulled the black blazer from his back. She added it to me. "Now you're perfect."

          My hair was cascading down my shoulders with a pretty, black bow placed in it. Bella gave me a small purse thingy. It was a black circle with tan polka-dots and a golden chain attached. My shoes were, thankfully, black flats.

          The doorbell rang.

          "Wish me luck..." I squealed. Wow... I just squealed.

          "Luck..." Bella said, giving a thumbs-up.

          I opened the door and saw Damien standing there. "Ready to go?" He asked. He was perfect. He wore a thin white V-neck T-shirt with jeans and a black blazer.

          I nodded. He drove us to a nice restaurant. We ate a fabulous dinner and had great conversations.

          Okay. That was a lie. A big, huge, FAT lie. Damien may be _one_ of the hottest guys I've ever seen on the face of the planet but he's also one of the most boring. The whole time the only thing he talked about was school. When I tried to work in social activities, he turn around and mention school _again_.

          "Bye, Damien," I called, giving him a fake smile. His car sped off into the distance as I ran into the safe haven of our flat. I sighed, plopping on the couch and wondering where Bella was.

          "How was the date?!" Bella screamed, jumping on top of me.

          I screamed. "What the hell Bella? You scared the living shit out of me?!"

          "Sorry," She whispered, sitting on her side of the couch. "How was the date?"

          I looked up at her beautiful face and how happy she looked. I didn't _want_ to tell her how horrible Damien was but it just came out. I groaned, "It was the most horrible date since Yoko Ono and John Lennon..."

          Bella gave me a confused look. "Who now?"

          I rolled my eyes. "Yoko Ono is infamous for breaking up the Beatles. Doesn't everyone know that?"

          She shook her head, "No."

          "Whatever," I said, continuing with my rant. "I _hate_ Damien Macy. He is the most boring hot guy I've ever met. He only talks about creative writing classes and sociology. Why the hell would I give a fuck?"

          "Kat," Bella said, placing a hand on my knee. "You love that shit. You eat up smart talk. I thought you'd actually like him for that."

          I realized something. I did love that shit. Why did I hate it coming from his mouth so much? "Am I bipolar?" I questioned aloud.

          Bella laughed. "Oh, Kat. Sweet, innocent Kat. Did you maybe think you like someone else?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

          _Oh my god_ , I thought. I loved everything Damien was talking _about_. I just didn't want it coming for his mouth. I wanted it from someone else. A very special someone who I was thinking about the whole time. "Oh crap," I uttered those two words. Bella was right.

          "I knew it," Bella smirked. "Kat likes Niall! Kat likes Niall!" She chanted. Her voice rang throughout the whole flat and probably the whole building.

          "Hold on a second," I said, scared. "I never said it was Niall."

          Bella wouldn't give. "It's totally Niall because you two are so perfect it hurts. You're like Will and April from Definitely, Maybe. Only Niall's more like April and you're more like Will. Throughout the whole movie, even if it was Sarah-slash-Emily who was Maya's mom, you knew April was the one he loved the most."

          "Okay. You watch way too many romantic-comedies," I told her, sprawling even further on the couch.

          "It's true is it not," Bella said.

          "But Will goes out with Summer-slash-Natasha too, doesn't he? You know before he realizes it's April," I rose my eyebrows, looking at my best friend.

          "Sure but..." Bella's sentence was lost. She got mad and threw a pillow at me. "God damn it! You are a horrible person! You're standing in your own way, Kat! I'm going to bed before you piss me off even further."

          "I love you!" I called, hoping she'd forgive me.

          "Ah!" She shouted in distress as she went down the hallway and into her bedroom.

          I sighed realizing I'd better go to sleep too. I laid in my bed, listening to _Maroon 5_. It was the song called _Better That We Break_. I had no idea what to do. Did I like Niall? I think. I wasn't totally sure. The one thing I knew was that Bella was right. I was standing in my own way.

          But what if I got in trouble? Niall's a huge pop-star and Harry's my cousin. Harry could either love the idea or hate it.  What if Niall and I were to go out and it ended badly? Could I be the next Yoko Ono? Ah, hell no.

          I rolled over in bed, groaning. I was hoping, praying that Bella would forgive me in the morning so she could help a sista out... or whatever.

          This song was most definitely not helping if I was thinking about Niall. Maybe it worked for Damien though...

          _It's better that we break, baby..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!


	10. The Love Squad

Chapter 10 (Part 1): The Love Squad

 

          I jumped out of bed to the sound of a whistle being blown. "What the hell?!" I shouted from the floor, rubbing my head. I glanced at my alarm clock as my eyes widened. "It's fucking two in the fuckin afternoon! On a Saturday!"

          "We've got no time for this!" Bella yelled. "We are going to knock some sense into that pretty little head of yours!"

          "We?" I questioned aloud. I glanced over the top of my covers and saw Liam. He smiled and waved. It was impossible to hate this guy.

          "Hey, Kat," He said.

          I slowly came to a realization. I calmly got up from the floor and glared at Bella. I growled slightly to my surprise.

          "Wait..." Bella looked kind of scared. "Kat look let me−"

          My growl grew into a scream. I threw Bella on my bed and started rabidly attacking her with a nearby pillow. "You fucking told him!" I screamed. "You told him every goddamn thing! What happened to girl's code?!"

          Next thing I knew a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist and lifted me, still thrashing and kicking, off of Bella. "Whoa, there Kat..." Liam said, setting me down gently.

          Bella stared at me. Her hair was an absolute mess and her chest rose and fell quickly. "Are you on your period?"

          I growled and lunged at her but Liam held me back. "Calm down!" Liam shouted. "I get it! Kat, I get it!"

          That made me stop. "What?"

          "I know you like Niall. I'm pretty sure he likes you too, all of the boys are." Liam said, slowly releasing me. "Bella just thought you needed a nudge."

           I glanced at her. She quickly nodded in response. "Okay..." I sighed. "Sorry, Bells... Hugs?"

          Bella smiled and hugged me quickly. Her and Liam led me into the living room. They sat me on the couch. I was preparing myself for what was about to happen.

          "Kat, what you need to do is simple," Bella said, locking her hands together in a serious way.

          "You need to tell Niall you like him," Liam continued. "Otherwise you two will never get together because both of you are too shy."

          "Yes," Bella said. "So get your ass over to his house right now!"

          "But−" I started to say but Bella threw clothes at me. Then I was thrown into a car and driven to the boy's flat complex.

          "Go on..." Liam encouraged me like I was a little deer paused in the road.

          I sighed, getting out of the car. I walked up three flights of the stairs. I wondered what I was going to say. I can't even tell you how many times I'd gone down the stairs but then doubled back. I was so scared but I knew I had to do this. "You can do this, Kat..." I whispered.

          I surprisingly saw Niall as soon as I turned the corner. His smile and blonde hair made me melt. Then I realized he was saying goodbye to a girl. She was pretty with stringy brown hair and brown eyes. They were smiling and looking flirty. Niall wasn't wearing a shirt. She'd stayed the night.

          I bit my lip and held back the tears as I walked away. He had already found another girl. I met Liam and Bella in the car.  "So?" Bella asked.

          "He was with another girl..." I admitted.

          "What?!" Bella screamed. "That's not possible! He loves you, Kat!"

          "Obviously not...." I sat back in my seat, sulking.


	11. The Plan by Bella ft. Liam, Harry, Zayn and Louis

Chapter 10 (Part 2): The Plan by Bella

 ft. Liam, Harry, Zayn and Louis

 

Bella's POV

 

          I sat around a table with four boys. Liam, Harry, Zayn, and Louis had all come to a meeting. Kat had been sulking for about three days because of Niall and this stupid girl. I was about to get to the bottom of it.

          "Alright," Zayn said. "This girl's name is Amy. Niall won't shut up about her. She's apparently the best thing in the world."

          "Good," I nodded. "What are we prepared to do about that boys?"

          "We've got to get Kat and Niall together?" Liam asked, looking like he thought it was a lost cause.

          "I'm not even sure I like this..." Harry said, crossing his arms and chewing the inside of his cheek.

          "You should like this because they are perfect for each other!" I shouted.

          "I've got it!" Louis shouted.

          "What is that, Agent Tomlinson?" I asked using Louis's code name.

          "It's a simple two-part plan," Louis explained.

          This outta be good...

 

 


	12. Part One

Chapter 11: Part One

 

          "I can't believe you're making me do this..." I exclaimed. I pulled at my black tights that Bella had forced me into. My dress was cute even if it was sequenced. It was navy blue strapless dress with silver stars. I had black bracelets on my right wrist and a black fedora on. My shoes were, thankfully all black Converse.

          "Why not? I love you, don't I?" Bella smirked. She looked beautiful in her slinky black dress and high heels. "You look so awesome. I'm the best, aren't I?"

          I just looked at her.

          "Too much?" She shrugged.

          "A bit..." I nodded. "Remind me again why we're going to a club? You know how I get around people."

          "You'll love it, Kat! There may be a lot of people there but you'll love the music so much you won't even care!" Bella cheered. Her phone buzzed and sang the single line, "This is why I'm hot!" She read the text and then said, "Harry says they're downstairs."

          "Why is that Harry's ringtone?" I asked.

          "No reason..." Bella said, opening the door. "Let's go!"

          I headed into the lobby with Bella and ran towards the boy who all looked pretty snazzy. "Harry, Bella's ringtone for you is 'This is why I'm hot'."

          Niall laughed. "His for her is 'In My Head' by Jason Derulo..."

          I awkwardly didn't say anything back. What was wrong with me? So what if Niall had a girl over? I never saw her again.

          "By the way," Niall said, looking behind him. "This is my friend, Amy..."

          Oh shit. It was _her_. The girl that stayed over was right here in front of me. She was beautiful with a tan, heart-shaped face and big brown eyes. I could never compare.

          "What about me being hot?" Harry asked Bella.

          She rolled her eyes. "Anyways, nice to meet you, Amy. Let's go!"

 

          The club was booming. Multi-colored lights struck the dance-floor with every beat of the music. Bella was right. I really did love this. The music took over me and I just kept dancing like no one was watching. _Like A G6_ was playing.

          I saw Niall and Amy dancing. She danced like one of those popular girls who didn't want to get too sweaty. Niall was such a goofball and danced like he had a limp.

          I was dancing with Harry and Bella. Bella was grinding on some dude. That was typical her. Harry was doing "The Swimmer". Liam, Zayn, and Louis were off to the side, talking to a blonde guy.

          Before I could think anything of it, Bella pulled Harry and I towards Niall and Amy. The song changed _Rude Boy_ by _Rihanna_. Bella and I were dancing together. I loved _Rihanna_. Then Amy all of a sudden attacks Niall's face. I realized I couldn't find Bella or Harry.

          I started to panic. I couldn't breathe and I felt tingling all throughout my body. I went to leave but I ran into this blonde guy.

          "Hey, sexy..." He said.

          "Gross," I said, rolling my eyes. I tried to push past him.

          The blonde laughed, grabbing my wrists. My heart sped up a million miles. "What did you say, bitch?"

          "Let me go, asshole!" I said, trying to break free of his grip. He was really strong and I could smell alcohol on his breath.

          "I believe she said to let her go..." I heard a beautiful Irish accent. "I suggest you do that now." Niall held his ground.

          "Look, dude−"

          "No, you look," Niall pushed the guy away from me. He fell on the floor with a drunken thud. He lay there, passed out on the floor.

          I felt gentle hands pull me from the scene. I was guided through the pack of people and led out into the cool London air.

          "Are you okay?" Niall asked, holding my arms.

          I could only nod. I'd felt that feeling of panic twice before. It was a panic attack. I have them very rarely but that was one of them.

          "Are you sure, babe?" Niall asked, bending down to move into my line of vision.

          "Yeah..." I broke free of his grip. "It's cool. I just needed to get out of there. Then that guy..." I remembered. I'd seen him before. He had been talking to Louis, Liam, and Zayn...

          Niall rubbed his thumb across my forearm. "Whatever happened to Damien? You guys had that one date and then nothing..."

          "He was too boring." I said, smiling. "All he wanted to talk about was school." _And he wasn't you..._

          Niall laughed. "I get it. I've been there, done that. Never going back..."

          That made me laugh. "What about Amy? Where'd you meet her?"

          "I literally ran into her in the park. We got to talking. I don't really know what she is to me." He shrugged.

          "You'd better figure that out, mate..." I said in my mastered British accent.

          "You're pretty good at that..." Niall smiled, chuckling a bit.

          "Well," I said. "I'm around you guys all the time. You're the only one fucking it up, Mr. Irishman."

          "Sorry," Niall held his hands up in fake defense. We sat outside and talked some more. "Hey, Kat−"

          "Niall!" Amy's whiney voice called from the door. "Where did you go?" She was obviously shitfaced.

          "Coming, Ames..." Niall gave me a sympathetic look before heading back into the club.

          I sat on the ground against a wall. I sighed. He must really like her...

 

Bella's POV

 

          "Louis!" I whined over the blaring music. I spotted Niall come back inside with drunk Amy and not Kat. "You said this plan would work!"

          "In time, Bells," Louis mischievously rubbed his hands together. "This is only part one. There's still two more to go."

          "Oi!" Charlie called, walking over to us. "Where's my money, Tomlinson?"

          "Alright, mate, alright..." Louis said, handing the money over to the blonde.

          "You never said I was going to get knocked out..." Charlie said.

          "Fine," Louis said, digging out some more money.

          "Pleasure doing business with you..." Charlie said, smirking and walking back onto the dancefloor.

          "I hope that was worth it..." I said.

          "It was," Louis smiled. "Part one is complete."

 

 


	13. Part Two

Chapter 12: Part 2

 

          I yawned, scratching my head as I sat up.  I heard noises coming from the living room. After I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, I decided to investigate. I tip-toed down the hallway, holding a toilet plunger for defense. 

          What I saw was indescribable. I saw Harry, _my cousin_ , and Bella, _my best friend_ , in total make-out mode on _my couch_. "What the _fuck_ is going on?!" I screamed.

          Bella jumped back from Harry whose back was towards me. "Kat, this isn't what it looks like!" Bella cried.

          "Oh, really?" I asked. "My best friend and cousin making out on my couch? That isn't what's going on? What did she have something on her lips, Harry?"

          "Are you mad?" Harry asked, looking guilty.

          "No," I said. "I'm just a little freaked out right now. When did _this_ happen?" I gestured to them.

          "Last night," Bella blushed.

          "Didn't you two used to hate each other?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and crossing my arms.

          Harry nodded, "I always thought she was hot though."

          Bella smirked, "I was in love with him _before_ I met him."

          "Are you two dating then?" I asked.

          Harry licked his lips and turned to Bella. "What about it, love? Wanna be my girlfriend?"        

          Bella shrugged, "Sure."

          I shrugged, going into the kitchen to make me some breakfast. I  could get used to this. "You guys want anything?" I asked them.

          "So what?" Harry asked, completely ignoring my question. "Where you going to plunge us to death?"

          Bella giggled. Maybe I couldn't get used to this.

          "No," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "I needed some sort of weapon. I could've smacked you into oblivion if you were intruder."

          "Sure..." Harry rolled his eyes, leaning over to kiss Bella.

          "Ew," I said, "keep it PG-13 please!" I went into the cabinet to find it empty! Then the fridge and there, again, was nothing! "What the fuck, guys? Did someone let Niall in here?"

          "No," Bella said. "Why?"

          "The food," I said, pointing to the fridge, "is gone."

          Bella shrugged, not caring.

           I groaned. I, however, couldn't live without food. I'm a baker for God's sake! I eat about twenty pounds of food a day. I went into  my bedroom and got dressed. I put on a over-sized white floral sweater with my favorite pair of light denim jeans. I eventually tamed my curls into an acceptable bun. I was lacing-up my tan Vans in the living room when Bella called my name.

          "Hey, Kat," She said. "I've got this list of all the stuff we need." She held out the piece of paper to me.

          I groaned, taking it from her. I went over the list and said to her, "But this will take me all day!"

          "That's the point!" She squealed as Harry pulled her on top of him. "We've got to get a head start since tour's in two months."

          "Jesus Christ! I am leaving!" I shouted, practically running out the door. I thought about driving Bella's car to the market but then decided to fuck it because it was a beautiful day.

          At the market, it was hell. Bella's list top to bottom was in crappy order. I went from the first aisle to the fifth then back around to the second then to the last. I always followed the shopping list top to bottom. Doing it out of order drove me insane. After about an hour of that madness, I finally got to the last item on my list: Bella's favorite cereal. It was the cheap kind but she was crazy about it.

          I sighed, almost running towards the cereal. There it was. The box was shiny and blue. It was also on the top shelf and I was five feet tall. I was determined though. I will finish this list. I was on my tip-toes and my hand was nearly there.

          "Let me help you..." A voice said behind me. I saw the outstretched hand reach over me. He pulled down the box for me.

          "Thanks so− Niall?" I asked when I turned to see the blonde smirking at me.

          "Hey," He smiled, putting Bella's cereal into my cart. "Fancy seeing you here?"

          "Yeah," I nodded. "We were _completely_ out of food this morning and Bella just forced me out on this shopping adventure. Can you believe it? Her and Harry are like a _thing_!"

          Niall laughed. "Liam did the same thing to me. He was out of food and told me to pick up a few things." He gestured to his gigantic cart behind him.

          "Oh my god," I said. "Look at mine!" I showed him the pile of stuff in my cart.

          Niall said, "This is mad. It looks like we've got the same stuff as well." We started to walk towards the check-out.

          "You think they're up to something?" I asked him, giving him a concerned look.

          "What?" He asked, looking at me like I was insane.

          "You know," I began to explain, "Bella and the boys. You think they're up to some plan to 'get us together'?"

          Niall just continued to stare.

          "I'll take that as a no..." I laughed. I probably was just crazy and paranoid. Bella wasn't that insane... was she?

          I put all of my groceries in Niall's car. There was no way I was going to carry that crap home by myself. I don't know what I was thinking. Niall cranked up the radio and it was _Justin Bieber_. I laughed at his love of this boy. He playfully serenaded me whilst driving.

          "Hey wanna come to my flat?" He asked randomly.

          I shrugged. "That'd be cool."

          He just smiled at me. It took us another fifteen minutes to head to his flat. I helped him drag in the groceries into Liam's flat. Strange enough, he wasn't there. Then we made our way up to Niall's flat.

          I sat down on the couch as Niall tossed a bag of chips at me which I caught flawlessly. He pulled out two Cokes and sat next to me. I comfortably placed my legs in his lap.

          "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" He groaned, picking up my feet and tearing off my shoes. He started massaging them. It was weird how he automatically did that. It was like he didn't even think about it but it felt amazing so I didn't complain.

          "We've been working..." I reminded him. "Plus you've got Amy..." I muttered.

          "What?" He asked.

          "Nothing..." I shook my head. "So what have you been up to then?"

          "Boys and I are going a tour," He shrugged.

          "That's awesome!" I squeaked. "When? Like the whole world?"

          He laughed. "We're actually going next month. U.K, Europe, bits of Australia, and the States," He said. He kept smiling at me and at this point I didn't know what to do with myself. Niall was cute and awesome. Right now he was being an example of the perfect boyfriend and I was sitting here like a derp.

          I sat up on the couch, sitting on my legs. " You will absolutely love New York." I said.

          "Really?" He said, leaning in.

          "Really," I said, leaning with him.

          My heart was beating like a drum. I could nearly feel the bullets of sweat forming on my face. I was going to _kiss_ Niall. This was really going to happen.

          "Hey, Niall!" I heard the infamous, annoyingly squeaky voice of Amy. I quickly pulled away and gathered my shoes, putting them on. Worst timing ever... "Was I interrupting something?"

          "No," I said. "Um... I've got to get back home, okay? Thanks for the... stuff." I started to walk out.

          "At least let me drive you home..." Niall suggested.

          "No," I said a little too fast. "I mean I'm good."

          I practically ran out of the flat. I couldn't believe I'd almost kissed Niall. Then Amy ruined it but she was his girlfriend, wasn't she? She had the key to his flat. That was a big step so surely they'd become an item. It was time for me to face the fact that Niall and I were only going to be friends.

          I unlocked the door to my flat. I was glad to see Harry wasn't there. I needed some girl time.

          "Hey, Kit-Kat," Bella smiled but then it turned into a frown. "Where's the groceries?"

          "Fuck," I muttered. "I left them in Niall's car."

          "Niall's car?" She rose her eyebrows. "Did you run into Niall? Did you two kiss? Are you lovers?"

          "Bella!" I screamed. "No! I need to talk to you like girl talk." I told her the whole story.

          "That bitch!" She shouted. "You know they're fuck-buddies, right?"

          "She had the key to his house!" I exclaimed. "You know what I want to be independent for a while. I don't want to think about Niall until he's totally and completely free."

          Bella shrugged. "Fine. Wanna watch My Little Pony and get shit-faced?"

          "Hell yeah!" I shouted. That's where the night ended. I was so drunk that I totally forgot about Niall or anything for that matter. I passed out at about three in the morning.

 

 


	14. The Amy Solution

 

Chapter 13: The Amy Solution

Niall's POV

 

          I sat in shock as I watched Kat storm out. I thought we'd had a real moment. I truly didn't know how I felt about her. Amy was a good time but Kat was...well, Kat. She was smart, beautiful, but also shy. She wouldn't tell you the truth if it'd hurt you in some way. The truth was I liked Amy but loved Kat.

          "What was that about?" Amy asked, standing in the living room. She was absolutely clueless.

          I sighed, standing up and walking over to her. "Amy," I started.

          "Don't," She said, putting her hand in front of my face. "I know where this is going. You like Kat, don't you?"

          I shrugged. "I _think_ I do...."

          Amy guided me back to the couch. "Sit down, little Niall. I'm going to help you with this little journey called _love_. It's a long, hard road. When did you first fall in love with our little Kat?"

          I shrugged, recalling that day. "Since I first saw her, I guess? She was beautiful but then I started talking to her and she became even more beautiful."

          Amy squealed, making me jump a little. "That's so cute! Okay. Do you want to date her?"

          "Course," I nodded.

          "Then," Amy said, "you've just got to talk to her. You know her well, yes? Then do what you think will let her fall in love with you." Amy smiled at me and headed for the door.

          "Wait!" I called. "That's it? You're leaving? What kind of advice was that?"

          Amy shrugged. "My work here is done. I liked you a lot Niall but I wasn't _in love_ with you. There's a difference, my young padawan. _You_ are in love with Kat. I'm pretty sure she's in love with you. Make stuff happen! See ya in the next life!" She smiled, walking out the door.

          I will _never_ understand Amy. She was so wise yet so stupid at the same time. She gave me good advice. I should just talk to her. I'd have to get her away from Bella though.

          "Hey, mate," Liam's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Whatcha doing?"

          "Thinking..." I said.

          "Be careful," Liam said with a chuckle. He set his things down on the table and sat on the couch with me. "What's on your mind? A certain lady?"

          "Yeah, actually," I nodded, "Katherine Cox."

          Liam rose his eyebrows. "Really?"

          "I think I love her..." I said. "What should I do?"

          "Just go with it, mate," Liam said with a smile. "Everything will turn out great. You and Kat are perfect."

          I rolled my eyes. This was great. Amy didn't make sense and Liam never gave me a straight answer. I guess I'll just have to wing it. Kat get ready for the conversation of your life.

 


	15. Screaming in the Street

Chapter 15: Screaming in the Street

 

          Niall and I cuddled on his couch, playing _Fifa_ on the _Xbox_ which by the way I was kicking his ass at. I sat in between his legs, leaning on his chest. I scored once again and the game ended five to two in _my_ favor.

          "Yes!" I screamed, jumping up from the couch. "I am victorious! In your face, Ireland!" I did a little victory dance.

          Niall laughed. "You may have won the battle, America, but I'll win the war." He lunged at me and threw me on the couch. Then proceeded to tickle my sides violently. My sides were my weak spot. I was laughing so hard nothing was coming out. "Truce! Truce!" I screamed. "I give up! I surrender!"

          "Say it," Niall said, not stopping. "You gotta say it!"

          I laughed, taking a breath. "Fine! Niall Horan is a sexy beast and I totally want to tap dat ass every chance I get. I'm so happy I'm with him and all of his smexiness!"

          Fortunately, the tickling assault had ceased. Now Niall was on top of me and we were just staring at each other. He started to lean down and eventually we softly kissed. Niall and I had been dating for about two months since our first kiss. We may have forgotten to mention this to Bella and the Boys. 

          We sat watching the Little Mermaid, my all time favorite Disney movie ever, and I laid against Niall as he played with my curls. I never minded it whenever any of the boys played with my hair. We neared the end of the movie and Niall said, "Babe?"

          "Hmm..." I mumbled, very nearly close to sleep.

          "It's time..." He said, kissing my neck. I saw right through his "sweeten the deal" tactic.

          I faced the blonde. "Huh?"

          "Don't you think we should go public with the fans _and_ the boys?" He smiled.

          I shrugged. I'd always been apprehensive about this, considering how much hate I'd gotten when Harry just told them I was his cousin. Now that I'd taken away their Irishman? They'd have a fit.

          Niall cupped my face in his hands, seeing the doubt in my eyes. "Kat, you shouldn't care about what the haters say. They're just jealous because you're beautiful and I have you all to myself. The boys won't mine either. Kat, I love you and I just want everyone else to know."

           I bit my lip, not convinced I was going to say what I was. I took a deep breath, "Fine."

          Niall cheered. "Thank you!" His lips crushed into mine and then he hopped over the back of the couch. He grabbed our coats as I stood up, knowing where we were going. Niall threw on his coat and put mine on me. We went out to his car and drove over to my and Bella's apartment. I texted all the boys to meet us there.

          Niall grabbed my hand as we made our way up the stairs. I knocked on the door as Niall kissing my cheek for confidence. Bella opened the door and let us in.

          "Hey, guys..." She said, looking very confused. "Kat, why are all the boys in our flat?" She asked as Niall went to sit with the rest of them.

          "I asked them to be..." I said. "Why don't you go sit with them?" Bella nodded slowly. She sat next to Harry and started brushing her fingers through his curls.

          "So," I took a deep breath. It felt like I was auditioning for X Factor or something. "I kinda having been telling you something for a while..."

          "Oh, God!" Bella screamed. "You're pregnant and Niall's the father!"

          "What?" I asked, shaking my head. "No! No, no, no..."

          "Damn it..." She cursed under her breath.

          "Anyways," I said, recovering from her comment. "I want to tell you guys that−"

          "You're leaving?!" Bella screamed, interrupting me again. "Why wouldn't you tell us this? What is this fuckery?"

          "God damn it, Bella!" I yelled. "Niall and I are dating!"

          Bella's face completely changed. "Oh. My. God..." She took a big breath, causing me to plug my ears. She screamed really loudly.... like _really loudly_. I think Harry was almost deafened in the process.

          "This is brilliant!" She yelled. "You're gonna get married and have loads of babies! And then−"

          "Slow your roll, Bells..." I told her.

          "Well," Liam interrupted. "Why don't we all go out to celebrate?"

          "That sounds pretty great..." Niall said.

 

          Later that night we all met back up at our flat to go out. I was dressed in a flowing purple tank top with a sweetheart neckline with black mesh at the top. My jeans were black along with my vans. I'd done my hair in a braid and slipped a black ring on my finger. I walked down the hall towards the living room when I heard whispering.

          "Can you believe it?" Bella asked.

          "What?" Harry asked.

          Bella groaned, frustrated at him like he should know what they're talking about. "The plan worked. That's like the first time that's ever happened to me before."

          He laughed. "A plan working?"

          I heard the significant sound of someone getting whacked and then Harry whining, "Ow!"

          I walked into the living room. "What plan?"

          Bella looked like she was a puppy I'd just caught peeing on the carpet. "Uh... nothing."

          I crossed my arms. "Nothing, huh?"

          She nodded.

          "You had a plan to get Niall and me together," I said, rolling my tongue over my teeth. "Really, Bells?"

          "I'm sorry..." She pouted.

          "I'm not mad because... well your plan sucked." I laughed.

          Bella got defensive. "How do you know what it was?"

          "The guy at the club? He was so obviously paid for and then Ni kicked his ass. The grocery list thing? Pretty good giving Niall and I the same things... But doing that stuff did get us together..." I explained. "We did."

          Bella rolled her eyes. "You are so clever, aren't you? As long as you and Niall are together forever, I'll be happy."

          "Hey," Harry said, pouting.

          "And when I'm with you, baby," She kissed his nose.

          I laughed, "Let's go out, you guys."

 

          We met the other boys in lobby and headed to a bar. There was dancing, drinking, and food. Bella and I were on the dance floor by ourselves for a while. Later the boys joined us. Niall and I held hands and danced crazily. After an hour or two, I needed some air. I headed outside, Niall following me.

          Niall leaded against the metal gating that surrounded the bar like a miniature fence. I leaned against his body, holding his hands. "This is great..." I said.

          "What?" He asked, smiling at me.

          "We're together," I said. "Our friends are happy and everything's just wonderful, huh?"

          "Yeah... wonderful..." Niall muttered, leaning forward. We kissed softly as we heard screaming in the street. "Is that Niall?!"

          I just giggled as we pulled away. "This is gonna be a long ride..."

          "But I'm definitely worth it, right?" Niall wiggled his eyebrows.

          I laughed, nodding. "I guess so..." I pulled him back inside the bar so the girls could get us. Niall went off to get pints as Bella pulled up beside me.

          "Where'd you to run off to?" She asked in an insinuating voice.

          "We just went outside for a bit but we might want to use the back exit, yeah?" I told her.

          She just rolled her eyes and smiled. "You two are so cute together."

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Wellll that's the first chapter everyone! I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review! Check out my tumblr as welll [links on my profile!] Anywayysss I upload every friday!


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